Pokemon: The Power Inside
by Epic0n
Summary: As the pokemon world begins, one trainer will become the best there ever was...(Sporadic updates- follow to stay up to date).
1. Prologue

All eyes and lights were on them. Out of so many challengers only 2 remained. Their eyes, determined and rugged, stared at the others, intimidating the others, to no avail.

They had worked too long to get here; they weren't going to let themselves down now.

The signal from the referee is given; they must choose their first champions to battle. Then the rest of the order is chosen, each one methodically after the other. The referee raises the next signal.

"Trainers! Are you ready," the ref says, his voice amplified by a microphone on his shirt.

Both trainers nod.

They're ready.

And now the world has a deafening silence, each side's fans hushed, waiting for the next move.

Fifteen- year old Ray is signaled first, his tall, gaunt build is tense with excitement and a will to win. He takes his first pokeball, tips his hat back, and launches it at the middle of the field.

It bursts open, spewing out a stream of white energy, which begins to form, parts of it forming here and there. A horn and two huge ears appear, while it begins to roar, its big and pink body starting to become visible. The stadium erupts into cheer the moment it roars. Ray has chosen-

"It's a Nidorino!" The announcer exclaims on the intercom speaker.

He continues:

"This is a very popular pick for Raymond Ketchum, using it in most of his matches. Its powerful body, surprisingly quick speed and deadly poison-tipped horn make it a fierce competitor for any trainer!"

Ray smiled as his pokemon continued to roar, in an attempt to intimidate his opponent.

It didn't.

The other trainer took out her first pokemon, on the cue, and tossed it into the air. It hung there for a second, then burst open, a huge amount of white energy splashing onto the stage. It morphed and folded in on itself numerous times before forming a pokemon, purple with a dastardly smile-

"She sent out her GENGAR!" The audience erupted in cheers once again.

"This is another classic starter for Delia! Gengar, a ghost type, is one that will give ANY pokemon a run for its money, especially a poison type! This is going to be a fantastic battle!"

Nidorino dug at the ground, ready to charge. Gengar was giving mean looks. Ray and Delia reviewed their strategies. The crowd is tense, waiting for the battle to begin.

The referee gives the signal.

"Let the battle begin!"…

But that's not how the story will continue.

Who will win is not the question. It's the journey to get there, all of the blood, sweat and tears, which truly shows a trainer their power inside.


	2. Celadon City

_Goldilocks planet (plural Goldilocks planets) (astronomy) A planet which orbits in the habitable zone around a star, where temperatures like those on Earth occur, allowing for the possible existence of liquid water and of life. There are two known in our local galaxy. One of them was deemed unsafe because it was radioactive..._

It was over before it started. The crowd knew it, the trainers epecially knew it, and so did little Red. His slim hands looked like they were stuck to the glass, eyes staring straight at the TV with a tag on it screaming "SALE". They were showing the Pokemon League Semi-finals, and the trainer stupidly called out his weepinbell and sent out a pidgeotto. The other one had a Kadabra.

Red yelled at the TV like any sports fanatic would: "Hey stupid! A flying type isn't as fast as a psychic type with stats THAT high! Stick to the wing attacks, not the gusts! They're too weak! Don't use physical attacks when his REFLECT is up!" "Hey kid! Quiet, will you? I wanna watch this!" There was another man there, equally as glued to the glass, with a fake Pokemon League Hat and a charizard on his shirt. Definitely a fanboy.

"Besides, where is your mother?"

"She's inside, heckling down an electric fire pit. This is far more interesting."

The man looked down at the boy. From the side, he looked thin, with matted black hair, a jutted nose and big cheekbones.

"Shouldn't you be at school, little kid?"

The liitle boy looked up at him with his green eyes jutting back between the screen and the portly man next to him.

"Not yet, buddy. School doesn't start for another half hour." He spoke maturely for his age.

The man paused. "This is a rerun, isn't it?" He didn't seem that interested anymore. Something told him he saw it already.

The boy answered matter-of-factly, "Yeah, so what? I've never seen this battle before."

The fanboy gave him a weird glance. The kid must be a beginner. He was just spewing out anything he could think of to make sense.

"Hit him with that again! No! Why did it hit itself with confusion?! WHY DOES ANY POKEMON DO THAT?!"

"Hey, kid. What's your name?"

"Red."

He was taken aback. "Red? Why would your mom-"

"She didn't call me that. I gave it to myself."

"Why?" Was it his favorite color?

Red took a deep breath. He was used to being picked on for it, but this guy was a stranger.

"Because, Red is the highest color-coded level you could achieve in the pokemon league. It means you're a master. I want to be Red, and calling myself that seemed like the best way to not forget."

The fanboy turned away from the messed-up little black haired kid and headed further down the open-air mall. Celadon City was a small minded metropolis surrounding the huge walled area for a clear glass scaffolding overhead and enumerable kiosks and small offices. There were plans to build a huge vertical mall, but the building committee lost funding.

As expected, the trainer's Kadabra made quick work of the pidgeotto and weepinbell. By the time his mother came out of the store with the pit in a box, the Kadabra was wiping the floor with a gloom.

"Red, let's go. We just need one more thing before we can send you to school."

"But MOM, the match! It's almost over!"

"Red, let's go NOW." His mother was used to the snobby tone- she tended to ignore it to save energy.

Sharing the pit's weight, they continued down the massive alleyway that crossed the entire complex, fragrant flowers and small fountains gracing the center pieces along the way.

"After we get the groceries, can I see the new cards?"

"If we have time, Sato-"

"Red."

She gave an exasterbated sigh. "Right. If we have time, Red. You still have to change into school uniform."

He had to oblige. He needed good grades to make it to the Pokemon Academy. They teach kids to be trainers there. That's what he wanted to be, ever since he saw the magnificent "Trevor Owens vs. Lance". It's regarded as one of the greatest battles for a reason. He always wanted the card of Lance's Dragonite. Maybe he'd finally get it.

Then he heard a noise. It was faint, but it was there. Like a small pitching sound. He turned to his mom, who seemed oblivious to it.

Was he going crazy? Was he finally what all those kids thought of him?

The noise got louder, then fainter. They must have been passing it. He put down his load and rushed to the noise.

"Red? Red! Where are you going?!"

He had to find it. Something was wrong. He had been in this place too many times to hallucinate.

The pitch grew as he got closer.

What was he looking for? A bomb? A key or something? He didn't know what to expect.

Then it got even louder. People nearby were looking around now. He wasn't alone. There wasn't any time for breaths of relief now. He had to keep looking.

Then it got even higher as he found where it was.

It was... in a trash can. A dinky, ugly trash can in the middle of the plaza. The pitch grew to almost unbearable decibels. He looked inside amongst the terrible din.

It was a pokeball, vibrating violently and blasting out white light from the cracks. Something was trying to get out.

But he reached in. The pitch wouldv'e damaged any older person's hearing if they were that close.

Then the light burst out so hard that it broke the ball in two. The beam of light morphed into something terrifying. It was a massive snake, with ocean blue scales and fins, huge white teeth and a defeaning roar. And it was PISSED.

"G-gyarados!"


	3. Unexpected Hero

The crowd erupted into screams of sheer terror as the beast roared menacingly. All Red could do was stare at its sheer size. He had never seen a pokemon this big before and never this close. He was too small to be noticed as the massive sea monster took in its surroundings.

Then he saw his Mother burst through the thrings and grab him by the shirt, lurching him away from the Monster.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! KEEP RUNNING!"

Amidst the screams and the forceful tugging on his turned back towards the beast. Its angry eyes seemed somewhat calmer now, as most of the ruckus was moving away from it. The the Police came.

"ALL UNITS, ENGAGE PROTOCOL 11! IMMOBILIZE THE POKEMON NOW! SET A PERIMETER!"

He heard pokeballs crack behind him, as different roars and battle cries filled the huge plaza as it became a massive battlefield.

"Vaporeon, ICE BEAM!"

"MAGNETON, THUNDERSHOCK!"

The two farthest away from them moved forward with their attacks, lightning flashing behind them.

Red and his Mother were some of the last on their way out, while a Venusaur and Chancey attacked from the other side.

Meanwhile, they had shut the doors remotely, unable to let the rest out. All the rest of the shoppers could do was hide behind a barricade. Only Red peeked out to see what was happening. He never saw a battle this close.

But the Gyarados was too powerful, and their attacks weren't doing the damage they expected. The thundershock rolled off, it broke out of the ice beam, dodged the Venasaur's solar beam and deflected Chancy's hyper beam. Then it got mad and let loose.

A massive ball of white and green energy flowed from his belly to its mouth. The policemen didn't know whether to command them to brace for impact or dodge it.

Red had seen enough battles to know what that was. And as he ducked, he knew what damage it could do.

The Gyarados let loose one of its most powerful attacks on the whole plaza. The dragon rage sliced through the stores and ground like they were made of sand. It swung up and shattered the glass and knocked out Chancy and its trainer, the one nearest the people. As it recharged, Red peeked it out and saw the damage. The dodging took a toll on all of the pokemon there, while the plaza was almost completely destroyed.

A gyarados like that must be a high enough level, so direct attacks won't do any good. The only way was for them to make it slower in status. He looked around the area for something other than a policeman's pokemon to use as a weapon. Then he saw a pokemon store across the way.

"Mom, I have an idea."

"Red, I have another one. We stay here."

"But Mom, we have to-"

"No. I forbid you from doing anything to help. They can take care of themselves."

Meanwhile the Gyarados froze the Magnaton and knocked out Venusaur.

As he watched the others losing, Red got an idea. He turned to the rest of the crowd, crouched behind the long and narrow barricade. He knew policemen had no other Pokemon, and they were seriously outgunned. But what about the strangers behind him?

"Does anyone here have a-"

Mom tugged his sleeve down to where she crouched.

"Red! Stop interfering!"

He shook her grip off and asked again-

"Does anyone here have any Pokemon? Raise your hand, then."

Some raised their hands, but refused to come out and battle.

"Not battle, to weaken. I- We need to just weaken it to stop it. Who's with me?"

Then one of the men got a surge of bravery or something, because he immediately stood up, and with a "he's right! Let's go!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out an expanding pokeball.

He launched out his butterfree, to Red's dissapointment. Then others joined in. There was a diglett, Fearow, electrode, another butterfree, persian and scyther. A weird mix, but it will do.

"Guys!" Red called out to them.

"Just distract him while you inflict status weakeners. Use your Butterfree's sleep and poison powders, Fearow's sand attacks, and the rest of you just keep its attention.

They nodded in unison and began their unified attack. Gyarados got over whelmed almost immediately; it didn't know which one to attack. Fearow got sand in its eyes while the Butterfree dived around it spreading blankets of powder. Electrode, Scyther and Persian attacked it from behind, joining the weak Vaporeon in overwhelming it even more.

Red got the attention of one of the other men watching the melee.

"There's a PokeMart on the other side. You'll find a pokeball there to catch it!"

"Right," The man replied as he bolted to the other side, dodging the rubble that got in the way.

Red watched with anticipation as he went in and began racing back with a whole carton of them.

At first he thought he was being an idiot, but with a Pokemon that powerful, why take the chance?

Then he tripped on the rubble, scattering Pokeballs across the floor. In a frightened panic, Red leaped out to catch some that fell. In that same momentum, he called out to one of the trainers, in a blue shirt.

"Hey, BLUE SHIRT!"

The man looked back to whoever called him.

Red raised his hand back, holding a fresh new pokeball.

"Catch it with this!" He launced it as fast as he could towards him...and missed.

_I have to work on that._

"Hurry!" Blue Shirt replied.

Red tried again, launching another one in a low arc into the other man's hands. He then launched it at the disoriented sea monster, touching it and setting off a chemical reaction only discovered within the past century.

A Pokemon has white, solid energy, and red energy, maleable and shapeless like water. Only when its red energy is exposed is when it can fit into a pokeball.

Red saw as the monster's red form was exposed and pulled into the tiny, multi-colored ball.

And shook

And shook

And shook.

Then the whole crowd heard the satisfying _clunk _of the ball. It was all over.

...

It took a while for the dust to settle, and for everyone to realize that the coast was clear. The source of the chaos was now safely encased in a ball of re-enhanced steel, comprised of the most delicate wiring inside and the toughest berry-wood outside.

The trainers rushed back to the people behind the bariccades while the policemen called for medics and a messenger from the pokemon center. As sirens wailed outside, the sealers were opened and the previously- trapped crowd was welcomed with applause and expressions of relief.

Red and his Mom were some of the last ones out of the plaza, which was immedately closed for repairs until further notice. Then the policemen that were coming out with them began to applaud for the two.

Then an interviewer raced over, her abra in tow.

"Tell us what it feels like to be a hero."

They weren't asking a policeman. They were asking Red.

He just stood there, clinging to his Mother like a child. "M-me?"

One of the policemen moved next to him, his Vaporeon rubbing against his leg.

"Your quick thinking saved us all. You're a hero!"

"I- I- Well I..." He turned back to the camera. He never imagined himself a hero. A Master, maybe. But not a hero.

"He won't be answering any comments today," his mother interrupted. "This boy has to go to school."

"School? Send that kid to the Academy already!" Someone called out.

Yet they still went on their way back home, carrying nothing with them but an experience they will never forget. It wouldn't be long before Red was in his red and white uniform with a bag of lunch, a bag full of books and a kiss on the forehead.

He was in the middle of a learning the science of Gemini, the planet's name, before he was called out to the headmaster's office.

Everyone had known about his encounter with the Gyarados, but no one thought it would get him in trouble. At least that's what he thought he was in since that was the reason most kids were called there. He rushed down the hallway, passing murals of pokemon and messages of inspiration.

The light shimmering from the stained glass above his desk welcomed him before the Headmaster did.

"Ah, here he is. The hero! The boy of the hour!"

"Seems to be longer than an hour sir. I've been getting those praises all morning."- At least that's what he wanted to say.

He noticed another person in the room. He looked like a new teacher, with a fresh head of hair hair and shimmering eyes.

"Well, 'Red' Tajiri, this is Professor Samuel Oak. He is the Headmaster of the Pokemon Academy. Or at least he oversees it."

The man got up to shake the boy's hand.

"How do you do, young...Red. Is that what they call you?"

As shy as he was, he couldn't help but feel some pride. "Yep that's what they call me, Professor."

Professor Oak gave a look of admiration. He could feel that this boy was special while they all took seats around the main table in the room. He assumed it was because red was the color symbol of a pokemon master. They could challenge any trainer and gain respect from any pokemon in their possession.

"How very interesting."

The Headmaster interrupted Professor Oak's fascination with the proposal that seemed to take forever to get to.

"Professor Oak wants you to start training at his Academy in Pallet Town. After seeing your ability to manage a whole pack of pokemon, let alone a whole group of people, he felt it would only be fit to see you train to utilize those delicate gifts. He will be willing to open up space for you. What do you say?"

Red looked up at the older men and for the second time that day, he was speech


	4. Newbie

It had been his dream since he knew what a pokeball was. He might even venture to say that it was his destiny, but he knew his Mother. She'd say no if he had said something so ridiculous.

Yet she had been called into school and talked with him while her child was in class. The teacher was droning on about Gemini and how it was a Goldilocks planet (whatever Goldilocks was), while Red couldn't concentrate. He was one "yes" away from the school of his dreams, to the thing he had always dreamed of becoming.

He could see it now.

_He was in the center of the stadium. Celadon Arena, in its full glory, with thousands of people in the stands glittering with camera flashes, making them seem like the night sky._

_He was exhausted, weary and proud. He had just won a battle. It had been the shortest 2 hours of his life. His pokemon were just as tired, but he felt a euphoria that could only come with a crowd chanting your name in a victorious roar. He screamed with relish, pumping his fists and standing in the center of the giant pokeball that separated the two sides of the arena._

_Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red!_

"... Because Gemini's measurements are similar to Earth's, that's why it's called a Goldilocks planet. The only thing that separates us from Earth is our radioactive core instead of a molten core. Any questions?"

_Rats. I was hoping the intercom would call my name already._

He was told that his mother had left the office and that he were to stay in school- _typical of his Mom-_ and would talk with his father about it before making a final decision.

_So they __**were**__ making a big deal about it..._

The day flew faster than a pidgeot's quick attack, slow on the beginning and end but a blur in the middle. It was at the end, when Red was dropped off from the students march (where all of the students of a certain district would walk together to their houses. The school was near the edge of Celadon City, so it wasn't that long of a walk), he felt a little hesitant to walk through the door.

His hand levitated over the "open" button, as nervous as he was when he got back a mark on a hard test. This was going to either be the biggest change in his life or just another time his parents wouldn't understand him.

He was completely surprised with what came next.

The door slid open, revealing his small, comfortable home. It was a two story house, the lower level being a huge room, centered with a dinner table and surrounded by a small kitchen, a TV, two-piece couch and a map of Kanto posted next to the backyard door. At that table sat his Mother, cleaner than she was this morning, and his father, covered in coal dust from head to toe. And they were smiling from ear to ear. It was almost frightening.

"Hello, Red!"

"Hello, Mom...Father... What's going on?"

"Well, you'll be happy to know how important your education is to us..."

Red's face started turning white. _Is this a joke?_

"But who says education only has to happen at your school?"

The boy was too emotionally confused. "What do you mean-?"

"Well," Mom stood up and knelt down to her precious only son. She didn't want him to go, but...

"We decided that... You're going to become a pokemon trainer!"

She never saw him jump so high and pump his fists at Hitmonchan speed. She forgot for a second that she was losing him and just felt excited for what was to come for him.

The rest of the information for the Academy was sent to them the next day via pidgey, including clothes and books. Red was allowed to stay home, as he was to leave the next day.

"There aren't many books on the list," Mom said when she looked at it at the table during breakfast. Red was distracted, scratching the underside of the little bird's chin, to its delight.

"Red, do you know why you only need _Pokemon Types for Beginners_?"

Red turned back to her as he sent the Pidgey away. "Mom, there is only 1 class a day. The rest is training the pokemon and battling them with other's."

She looked further into the envelope and fished out a white ribbon.

"What's this?"

He took it from her and gave a closer look. It looked like a military ribbon, attached to a pin and engraved with the Pokemon League official insignia: a sideways V with the top bent down.

He couldn't believe that this was happening. He was on his way to becoming a trailer- and so much earlier than he expected! The uniform was as simple as his school one, just in greater quantities; they warned that early trainers go through clothes very quickly when it comes to training themselves with a pokemon.

Even though he knew everything there was to know about stats and battling, he didn't know what to expect when he was picked up by car and brought to the Academy, in the forest on the way to Vermillion City.


	5. Orientation

The car sped through the countryside, covered by a cloudless sky and the bright morning sun. Red never got to see the world speed by like this. The boy was glued to the window as he sat in the backseat, his duffel bags packed in the trunk of Professor Oak's sedan. He saw a flock of Spearow fly near the trees and could've sworn he saw a mankey climbing a tree as they passed through Vermillion City.

"We're almost there Red. Don't get too distracted."

He learned from his parents to reply with "Yes Sir."

"The first thing you will do is get your room number. After you bring your stuff into it, you will be given a small introduction of the school and be given your first primer."

"Excuse me Sir, but what's a primer?"

He could see the Professors bright blue eyes through the rearview mirror. "Your first pokemon."

_My first POKEMON?! _He couldn't believe that he could be more excited than he was already.

The car slowed down near a patch of tall hedges and turned into an archway barely visible from the side. To Red's overwhelmed eyes, a huge palace opened up in front of him.

The beige stone, red roofs and blue tinted windows caught the sun's rays and glowed across the entire campus, covered with meticulously trimmed hedges and trees; some were even in shapes of majestic- looking pokemon, like Arcanines, Tauros and Gyarados, in battle positions. The car hovered over the neatly swept dirt driveway as it parked right in front of the huge wooden doors, covered in shining gems that looked like colored pokeballs.

Red got out with the Professor as another person gathered his things and brought them in. He wasn't used to such service, as he was his mother's servant since he was able to lift a bag of groceries.

The lobby looked so pristine, with marble floors and white walls covered in abstract art and pictures of alumni mid-battle, lit by sun-lights reflecting off of a fancy chandelier. The secretary was covered by the big black countertop. The Professor was right behind him when he drew her attention away from the huge screen in front of her..

"Natasha, we have a new student. Mr. Satoshi Tajiri"

"Oh! Yes Professor. Mr. Tajiri from-?"

Red felt inclined to answer for her.

"Celadon City, maam."

Professor Oak lightly jabbed at him with his elbow.

_"_Red, only speak when spoken to at this institution." He sounded much sterner than before, taking Red completely off guard.

"You are in a Pokemon Academy, not just an ordinary school. We have rules here."

Red blushed in the face as he turned towards the ground. It was just he was so excited...

"I must leave now to take care of some other matters. From here on out, I'm not your friend, I'm your Headmaster. I do not mean that to sound threatening. I mean that in the way that you may visit me only on appointment. Do not seek out my favoritism. The only way you could do that is to become an extraordinary trainer. Any other flattery will not work. Try to cut any corners and you will fail. Training is the hardest part. The hours will be long. There will be times when you might want to give up. But that's where you could find the power inside. I hope you find yours, and I hope you catch my attention again."

He walked away from him into the room next to the secretary's desk, leaving Red alone for the first time this morning. Then again, this was the first time he was alone and away from home for the first time. He felt a tug come from under his lungs and feelings of loneliness come over him. After all, he was only 10...

The noise from behind the desk snapped him out of his daze. She blazed across her keyboard, loudly typing words as she printed out papers and put a fancy looking red device into a bigger slot on the computer. A couple more beeps and bops were all that came from it and then stopped, sounding a ding and then coughing it up a few inches. Then she gave it to him with a packet and a small key.

"Here's your room key, instruction papers and your Pokedex. That device is irreplacable, so don't lose it. Please turn it on so that you can start your orientation. The room your in is occupied by a level black trainer, so try to learn from him as much as possible. It would be in the West Wing. Once you are settled, please make your way to the testing room down that hallway-" she pointed in the opposite direction- "where your academic level will be placed. Be on time to that. Dexter will tell you the rest."

As he turned towards the west wing, he asked- "Who's Dexter?"

She gave him a warm smile before returning to the screen. "That's the name of the voice on the Pokedex. Good luck!"

He slowly walked down the hall as he pressed the tiny power button on the red device. It popped open in his hands and vibrated to life.

"Hello _Satoshi_ Tajiri_ and welcome to the Pokemon Academy..."


	6. Red's Primer

The room was surrounded in pale white, with a texture that felt like the walls were crumbling apart. His bed was a simple wire frame with a small mattress, next to a metal cabinet. It was simple enough for Red to get used to, yet his mind was still focused on the little red box mechanically spewing out rules.

"...Leaving the grounds is forbidden, even to chase down a pokemon. All permissions to leave are issued by the front desk only. Any more permissions to leave will be issued by Professor Oak... "

He didn't even bother to set himself up. He hastily put all of his bags on the cot and rushed back to the main desk. A booklet was waiting for him, weighed down by a small blue pen.

"Take this test in the first classroom on the left."

The woman was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even look up to see him; she just knew he was there in her peripheral vision.

"When you're done, use the top of the pen and face it to the answer bank. It will scan your answers and feed us the results. Then you will get your primer based on the results. Good luck."

He stared at the booklet, emblazoned with the green insignia above a pokeball. This was it; the one thing separating him from his first pokemon. He didn't even care that the classroom was even more boring than the ones he had back home. He was going to make the best impression he could. That meant acing this test.

The rules were simple. Keep looking down at the test, no talking out loud and no other means of cheating allowed. It was a performance test, where it was okay to get things wrong. But not for Red.

After turning the booklet over and removing the scantron-like answer bank, he began.

The whole test was multiple choice.

The first part was matching the pokemon with its type. Piece of cake.

Next was matching the type to its weakness. Easy peasy.

Then choosing the correct order of pokemon's sizes from biggest to smallest. Then which potion heals which ailment. Then which pokemon can learn which HM moves.

Finally, it asked which method was utilized to train a pokemon to avoid physical aiments like paralysis and sleep. He had no idea, yet he needed to find the best answer he could find. He felt a drop of sweat pass down his brow as he chose the best sounding answer.

To his amazement, when he pressed the button on the side of the pen, the top began to glow like a red police light. After locking onto the bar code scan on the top of the card, it prompted Red to scan the entire card, after which it told Red to return it to the main desk before shutting off.

As he put down the papers on the desk, he noticed another man by the desk, resting one hand on the desk and a cane in the other.

"Pardon me," He said through his rounded sunglasses. "You must be Satoshi."

Amidst al of the excitement, Red was hesitant to shake the man's outstretched hand. Yet as he did, the old man's grip was firm and strong, contrary to his weaker appearence. He looked to be the Professor's age, but with more obvious signs of aging.

"My name is Professor Blaine, of volcanic studies here on campus. I'm also the battlefield guide for new recruits. And yes, your primer will be waiting for you when we get back."

As the two of them left through an ornate glass door on the other side of the lobby, Red was welcomed by the afternoon sun and shouts of attack calls to pokemon.

"Keep dodging those swipes, Raticate!"

"Hit 'em again with your flamethrower, growlithe!"

"Pidgey, wing attack!"

It sounded like a song he couldn't help but keep on repeat. Red loved the sound of battles, the pure energy that emanated from both competitors, the sparks between combatants. He was glad that he found this place.

Yet as he stared in awe as the two of them walked through the battle-worn pastures, Professor Blaine had been reciting the rules:

" You can only battle in specific zones. That way you don't have to be challenged by older, more experienced trainers. If you are challenged by a more experienced trainer, and your pokemon is healthy, you cannot back out of a battle. Taking the challenge would not only put your pokemon at risk of permanent damage, but you risk your stay here as well...

"But don't worry. If a trainer fights a certain amount of battles without any experience level gains- and we know how many due to the numerous battle kiosks scattered around the premises-, they will be suspected of cheating and misusing the pokemon academy grounds and be temporarily suspended while under investigation.

"To graduate this school requires their students to be a black level. To do so requires you to escalate from white to gray to black. A trainer must beat two directly above level trainers in the same battle ground one after the other- then that trainer will report to a battle kiosk for a new notch and the chance to recieve another pokemon. Once grey level is reached, the trainer gains another pokemon, this one a rare starter. Understand, Satoshi?"

The boy's attention was grabbed, but the first thing he could say was: "Red"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Red, Professor. That's my real name."

"Real name, huh? Then why is it Satoshi on the documents?"

"It's my legal name. But Red is the name I will be called when I reach the red level."

"Oh, so you do know most of the basics of trainerhood."

"I've loved it all my life Professor. Ever since I saw my first fight."

"Oh, I see. Which one was that?"

"Agatha vs. Lorelei. Five years ago."

"Ahh, I remember that one well. I had the privelage of seeing it live."

"You were there?! Oh, I can only imagine what that must have been like to be there!"

"I know. It's battles like those- and like the ones you see here- that keep my passion flowing..."

Red hadn't noticed that they were on their way back until he saw the glass doors again, glinting the sunlight into his eyes. He wished he had the Professor's sunglasses.

The secretary greeted them as they walked in and brought out a sphere from the lower desk. It was shining the colors of red and white, with an off-white lid that kept the energy inside that would become Red's first pokemon.

"The pokemon just arrived. It hasn't been waiting long. I hope it fits you well."

"Thank you Miss! See you later professor, and thank you."

The man held him from the back of the collar.

"Not so fast young man. I want to see the moment when a boy like you sees his first pokemon."

Red gazed at the ball with the utmost of joys. This was it. The beginning of his career as a trainer. The most coveted position one could get in the world. This was his start to becoming the best.

He tried his best not to imagine what was in there, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe a small pokemon he would raise to become a giant. A bird that he would teach to fly. Or a tiny one that would take down giants and leave audiences with gaping jaws and trainers in the dust.

So as the sun was nearing the horizon, with battles going on in front of him, one of his new teachers by his side, he screamed the magic words to the heavens:

"POKEBALL, GO!"

And launched the ball in a high arc. The ball's internal circuitry sensed the change in outer velocity and opened on command. It burst open in a white cascade down to earth as it folded in on itself more and more.

Then grew.

And grew.

And grew until...

It was a huge blob of sleeping monster that didn't even notice it left the ball.

He tried to stay positive, but he couldn't help but drop his head while his left eye twitched involuntarily.


	7. I Choose You

Snorlax, the sleeping pokemon. Very lazy. Just eats and sleeps. As its rotund bulk builds, it becomes steadily more slothful.

Well that doesn't help me.  
He stared hopelessly at the pokedex, theorizing about the idiot who must have hacked the system and given such a useless description. He bet there were probably dozens of other entries that were made up by some stupid kids giggling around one of the computers in the pokemon center that was closed for the night.

He sighed as he leaned against the soft, heaving mass of his snorlax. Obviously it didn't go back into its ball. He wouldn't listen to a single thing he said. He even commanded it to rest and it still didn't listen.  
He thought nothing would stop him from achieving his dream of building his pokemon dream team. He never took into account the sleeping menaces that occasionally blocked roads and caused a shortage of apples after only one found the orchards outside of vermillion city (the metal vermillion is good fertilizer for the apples that grow on Gemini, hence why they were there).

The day was still young, the battle cries he loved just a while ago rang through his ears. He could only dream of the pokemon he could have gotten as he vicariously trained other pokemon that he saw nearby.  
Then snorlax would fidget to find another position to sleep in and awake its trainer. He wanted to complain, but he was sure that it would fall onto deaf ears. It would be improper of such a trainer to complain about a pokemon that he couldn't train so easily. Then he might complain about the next one... for being too easy to train or something.  
But he could never give up now. Not because of this. With the action around him, he tried something he never thought he would do.  
He found Snorlax's armpit and began to tickle it. His Mom did that to him when he didn't listen. He thought he'd hear it wake up and groggily listen to his new master. Instead he felt the full force of a fury swipe, sending him flying across the field and tumbling down the hill.  
He slowly walked back up and thought of a new strategy, all while pulling blades of grass out of his thick hair.  
He leapt up onto Snorlax's big belly and tried shaking his head. Maybe that would help somehow. The next thing he knew he was pulled down by Snorlax's other hand and flung down to the ground.

As he shook the dirt off of his new pants, he frustratingly looked to the sky. It was huge, almost a thousand pounds. Brute force won't help.

Then it shifted. To his surprise, it woke up and stood up in front of his master. Red thought he was going to cry out of happiness, but then he was pushed to the side and treated to the sight of his 1000 pound behemoth run down a plain at full speed.  
But as he smelled what they were cooking, he realized...  
Uh oh...  
Snorlax's aren't satisfied until they eat...  
The school's lunch was going to be Snorlax's snack if he didn't do something.  
He bolted after his pokemon. He was known to be a fast runner, so being that its speed was 30, it was easily overtaken by its scrawnier master.

Other trainers were noticing too. One of which knew exactly where the pokemon was going. He stood in front of the kitchen door, pokeball out for the ready.  
"RAY! What are you doing!" Other trainers were too scared of the charging beast. Red groaned as Ray stood there, "valiantly" blocking the way. That trainer was going to challenge a starving snorlax?  
Was he out of his mind?!

"Kid, is that your pokemon?"  
Red was gasping for air as he made it to the other boy and stood directly in front of him. He barely made it past the top of Ray's chest.  
"Please... don't ... fight it. It's... mine... I got this..."  
"No you definitely don't! That thing is unstoppable. I got this. Pikachu, go!"  
He let loose the ball in his hand and out popped a white blob that morphed into a yellow mouse with a brown tail and bright red cheeks. The snorlax stopped in its tracks as it stared down the little mouse, electricity coursing around it in aggressive patterns.  
"STOP! Don't hurt it!" Red stood in front of his pokemon, hugging it behind his back.  
"It didn't do anything wrong! Please stop!"  
Ray sighed. This kid wasn't going to make it any easier, was he?  
"Pikachu-!"  
"NO! DON'T!"  
"Thundershock that snorlax!"  
In the seconds before pikachu was charged up, Red felt an arm grab his shirt and toss him away. He landed safely on the grass before his beloved pokemon was knocked out by a tiny mouse's thundershock, all on their first day together.  
Some first day, he thought as he lay in wait at the pokecenter, hoping to hear some good news about his new pokemon.


	8. Into the Rush

He left the center with his pokemon safely tucked away in its ball, a note attached to it:

_Status report: Health level at 1%, paralyzed, suffering from electric shock and convulsions._

_Treatment: Full restore, rest, electric convertor for skin electricity removal._

_After which: pokemon at 100%, ready for trainer_

_Notes for trainer: Please take better care of your pokemon._

Better care? How on Gemini was he supposed to take better care of it if he couldn't command it to do anything?

He slumped forward over his food tray. He wasn't even hungry as he stared at his pokeball, rolling it around gently with his index finger. It had only been his first day, yet the teenage nurse didn't let him forget that. She had never seen a trainer come in so fast for injuries to their pokemon. She didn't even mention the injuries to the trainers, though. That seemed to be glossed over.

As he heard the bell ring, he noticed a massive rush towards the door, as if the trainers needed to go somewhere. He decided to ask a girl with fiery red hair what was going on. She beckoned him to follow her, as she was walking double time to the exit.

"It's called the Tauros Rush. All of the younger trainers want to leave so they don't get challenged by the higher level trainers that wait at the door. Easiest way to get battles while the Pokemon are generally very healthy and the trainers are still in a relaxed state."

"Oh."

"Speaking of which, we just passed through the exit. I challenge you, newbie!"

It took a second for those words to sink in. He was through the exit as she said that. She tricked him! Now he had to battle... with a stubborn snorlax.

Suddenly he heard another trainer call to him. He looked much bigger than either of them, with a towel around his neck like he just went on a run.

"Hey kid! I challenge you to a battle!"

The girl turned back to the other trainer with a stern look and a deep fire in her eyes.

"Back off, Anthony! He's mine, you jock!"

"Fine! I hope you lose to him, Delia! Can't wait to hear about _that_."

She rolled her eyes at the jock as she motioned Red to the nearest battlefield, which was a good five minutes away.

As they walked, they introduced each other.

"Red Tajiri. From Celadon City. Wanted to be a trainer for as long as I can remember."

"Delia Hirota. From Pallet Town. Wanted to be a trainer for longer than you. Why's your name Red?"

"Because it's the highest level of trainerhood and I want to reach it. Why's your name Delia?"

"It was my grandmother's"

That was it, until they reached the battlefield. It was a rocky terrain with large boulders peaking out from random places on the field.

"Good luck Red! I hope you have what it takes."

"You too Delia..."

She didn't waste any more time. This was to train her little pokemon to face anything it could. She tiled the rim of her hat behind her head, pulled out her pokeball and launched it towards the center of the battlefield. It burst open upon impact with the ground and the tiny ball of white energy folded and grew into a plant pokemon that reached Red's knees; a Bellsprout.

_That?! This trainer's best pokemon is a BELLSPROUT? Even if I can't command my Snorlax, it should easily overtake that little bell plant with vines for limbs._

He relaxed a bit as he gripped the ball in his hand. Yet he still was hesitant to throw the ball. After all, this was still his first ever pokemon match. His snorlax's white energy seemed to ooze out of the ball as it lay on it's back, oblivious to what was happening.

"Bellsprout, vine whip!"

As soon as she instructed it, it tilted it's head back and blasted out a barrage of vines at snorlax. He didn't even notice that they were smacking him across his body.

"Snorlax, get rid of the vines!"

No response.

"Bellsprout, try to tackle it like I taught you!"

The little plant rammed the beast head-on, pissing it off. It ricocheted right off of its tough skin as Snorlax immediately stood up and rushed Bellsprout!

"Oh shoot! Dodge it, Bellsprout! Red, what's happening?!"

"I HAVE NO IDEA! Snorlax, snap out of it!"

Nothing stopped it from lunging at the thing that disturbed his slumber.

But Delia knew what to do. She had taught it what to do in a situation like this. It was popular for newbies with large, inexperienced pokemon to try to rush the other side every time.

"Bellsprout, that's enough dodging! Vine whip that monster up!"

The little pokemon turned from a little sprout into a twirling chaos of vines, whipping up and smacking snorlax all over the place, eventually bringing it down in a tangle of vines, wrapping it up in a painful mess.

As the poor monster struggled against the growing mass of vines, Bellsprout stood on top of it with a look in its eyes that awed Red.

"Now, Bellsprout! Finish it!"

It nodded at it's trainer as its vines tightened even further

"WRAP ATTACK!"

Red stared in helplessness as his snorlax struggled against the vines until it was too exhausted to fight against it. It fainted in the cluster of vines while Bellsprout stood on top of it, the puny pokemon triumphantly checking to make sure the behemoth didn't fake it.

He lost...

He actually lost...

The second time in one day, the first battle he ever had.

For a split second, he felt the guilt and shame that comes with any loss, with any step backwards, with any attempt at doing something right backfiring in his face. That was, until he saw a bigger figure tower over his crouching body.

"Nice match, Red. You have a lot of work to do. Want to be friends?"

He looked up at her with watery eyes as he saw her hand stretched towards him. She wants to be friends... with me?

He didn't let that opportunity pass on. He shook it as she surprisingly pulled him up.

"Good. My friends never give up, ever. Now go to the pokemon center and get back to training. Bellsprout, return!"

Her pokemon disappeared in a blast of red energy into the pokeball as she ran off to challenge another with the vigor of a champion.


	9. Unique

p data-p-id="a95327d24f929aee4a455de7a86678e9"Night came soon after he left the Pokemon center, as there was a long line for trainers to get their pokemon healed. The curfew bell rang out, signaling the end of Red's most embarrassing first day ever. Even at only 8 years old, he never felt this bad. The blood never flowed away from his cheeks as he dragged his feet to his dorm room. He was so upset about his first day, he even forgot to miss home. /p  
p data-p-id="180b1e7faa6c2922b010455a30bbbd69"Speaking of forgetting... He forgot who his roommate was. He had been so rushed to start that he didn't even see the bed across the room from his own./p  
p data-p-id="0a73d058fa98713416ba4ef59b8f6edc"That question was answered as soon as he heard a mouse squeaking loudly on the floor and the command "Pikachu, get over here. The new roomy's coming in," rang out in a familiar voice./p  
p data-p-id="5d051a3900226bfd94aaf689c54e3932"He remembered seeing him before, except he was staring down his own pokemon with those dark brown eyes half covered by his thick black hair. His red and white hat, with the league insignia on it, sat on his night table, the only color on the steel furniture./p  
p data-p-id="b6add13f18bcba1d068ffd0ca943f6e1"emIs that the one who attacked my Snorlax before?/em/p  
p data-p-id="624c694e6b859ad742ecd8ffed0263b4"As he walked in, he saw the yellow mouse, as big as his forearm, curled up like a cat on the boy's bed./p  
p data-p-id="2851c1fd5514325114da284663209c22""Hey there. Wait a minute- Weren't you the boy with the Snorlax?"/p  
p data-p-id="fd49b419154070e3456f865847a8048a"He froze in panic. The last time they saw each other, Ray had been scolding him to get his pokemon under control. Now, after the second time bringing his Snorlax to the Center, he didn't want to have to face the boy that sent him there in the first place. But he had to./p  
p data-p-id="16aeeb12a576e877719fa34673cc92b7""Yeah...It was me. I'm sorry."/p  
p data-p-id="bacd56b7716a1d5ef43a2904d9cbc590"But what happened next surprised little Red./p  
p data-p-id="79163154596e620178b8f3201b810db6""It's okay. Trainers have that problem all of the time. Take my pikachu for example."/p  
p data-p-id="d8d0fe6a2c6ba00b5bde475475861aa8"The moment it heard it's name, it perked up with it's ears pointed upwards./p  
p data-p-id="6e638567098639bd29ef3cef9742793f""It would shock anyone else that touched it. I even had to keep it inside the ball at all times at one point. Now..."/p  
p data-p-id="238af85ac2e43a37a66fdb56f1c75c74"He reached over towards the giant mouse and scratched behind the ears. It squeaked in delight as Ray found a sweet spot./p  
p data-p-id="d3ed5b415c7a689582a7027c904d5753""It's a cutie pie. Anyone can touch it."/p  
p data-p-id="dbc9af44bce24634d999588a5cdaadee"Almost on cue, the mouse, looking more like a yellow chinchilla than a mouse, leapt off of the bed and rubbed itself on Red's dirty pant legs./p  
p data-p-id="de4432f6335c7665d85fb1f16a6f1e83"I know that it's your first day, but don't worry, kid. It doesn't happen overnight. All pokemon need their own special training, Red."/p  
p data-p-id="72226cc9361ca141764b456485ac77c3"Red put his knapsack down and rested on his bare mattress, letting a sigh of exhaustion creep out of his lungs. It had been too long of a day just to get another lesson learned. He was so done with the day that he shook that unneeded advice off with a cynical retort./p  
p data-p-id="ce7391c09c2f3a73ea186cec3e43fa08""But that's only with your pikachu's defensive habits. They are known for being afraid of anyone but their trainers, or even them too. That doesn't change anything. How on Gemini am I going to train a pokemon who's bad habit is sleeping?!"/p  
p data-p-id="055557df43c067ba2e000f2f518133c7"He never even realized that he had stood up, his pokeball clenched in his right hand as if it leapt out of his pocket. Even Pikachu could sense that something was wrong as it jumped back onto Ray's bed in alarm. He sat there with a calm look on his face, with a silent empathy that only comes with getting older./p  
p data-p-id="bdcd05c6acb0149aeef6cf8d7e80c869"Red then turned around and set up his bed as best as he could remember from home./p  
p data-p-id="37d227f3929f522ba49a2240b33b8eba"Then it hit him. He was not home. He wasn't going back. He wasn't going to see his parents again, at least not for a while./p  
p data-p-id="db3e233780ed571610313a2a494f4eef"This isn't camp. This isn't a school trip. He wasn't going to be going home. He was staying here, alone, on his own.../p  
p data-p-id="df90ca28a31bf90700d0025e9b6ff541"He couldn't set up the bed right... He forgot his Mother's instructions on how to make the bed.../p  
p data-p-id="8881ceb66d14160dd2663d8a552eb65a"He was all alone... His Mom wasn't here...His Dad wasn't here...He wasn't home... His mom wasn't here.../p  
p data-p-id="752ea72a727c3ec5b401dbaea76e611a""Red, here. Let me get this. Pikachu, keep him busy."/p  
p data-p-id="1fe5019e9288037be8815d0aa9907ddf"He lightly pushed Red away from where his tears moistened the floor and took care of the fitted sheet. As Pikachu leapt up into the little boys arms, Ray cursed the day those stupid sheets were invented. Sooner or later, the bedding was finished and Red was beckoned back. By that time, he had been feeling better after snuggling with the living pillow like he did when he was younger. Even at seven, he wasn't emthat/em mature./p  
p data-p-id="d553bc7e9077a09cf7d0a38fe1bcf296"As the moon graced the sky and lit up the training fields outside, the academy called the lights out and shut off all of the dormitory lights. And little Red, with a Pikachu curled up on one side and his first pokemon on the other, dreamed not of home but of what was to come./p 


	10. Take Down

Morning graced Kanto with a golden shine of the sun and a slight rustling of the trees. The wind picked up the sand from the rocky terrain and spread it over the tall grasses and border fences. The small bugs and pidgeys convened onto the grassy knolls for breakfast as the country began to wake up. The Academy, however, ran on a tighter schedule.

At exactly 6:15, three dodrio raced out of their pens, their high pitched shrieking piercing the hillside academy and shook every trainer awake. Even some pokemon jumped out of their balls in alarm. Soon afterward Professor Oak flipped a switch and a more normal revile reassured the rest of them that it was no emergency.

But not everyone was sleeping. Red had not been able to sleep once the light fell on his face, 30 minutes earlier. So he sat in the main lobby of the dorm, the same one he entered a few days ago and pondered what he was going to do next. He had learned the basic type advantage systems, but his own pokemon, a normal type, barely had any effective strategic advantage. He then tried every possible way to get Snorlax to do any moves, let alone even move when it wasn't hungry.

He called his mom yesterday and asked how things were. She had squeezed out every aspect she could about how he liked the place, who his roommate was, if he was nice, what pokemon he had now.

She gave some advice that went in one ear and out the other. Normally he would cling to every word she said, but after so much disappointment in one day, his eyes glazed over and his hair fell in depressed clumps down his face. His mother, somehow always alert even at night, had caught on his feelings.

"Satoshi my sweet, what's wrong? You don't sound so excited to be there."

He slumped over the monitor, letting his face switch from sadness to confusion to frustration...

"I know, I know. It's just that, well, my Pokemon isn't helping me like others' do."

She moved in closer to the monitor, her hand folded across the table, the other holding the receiver tightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my Snorlax doesn't listen to my calls during training. All of the other trainers have pokemon that listen to them, and they're winning matches and stuff!"

"Well, that sounds tough."

"I know. And do you know how long they have had their pokemon?"

"How long have they had their pokemon, Red?"

"Only a few months! I have no chance if this keeps up."

"Why so?"

"Well, because who knows if it will just keep ignoring me over the next few months. Then I'll have to fight someone and lose and it will be so humiliating because... well because I suck at training!"

He turned to his Mother with moistened eyes. His mother returned with a stern look unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

"Satoshi Tajiri! I will not have you act out in this way! Sit up!"

He immediately sat up.

"Now, stop thinking like that. Think about what you're going to do next! What will that be?"

"Try...Try to find a weak pokemon with a bad trainer."

She shook her head slowly.

"No, no. That is not how a trainer gets any better. You must find a better way to train your Snorlax. I don't care about how much it sleeps or eats, there must be a way to train it."

His eyes widened as she finished that sentence.

"Say that last phrase again."

"I said, I don't care how much that pokemon eats, it can be trained."

"Mom... when it ran as fast as me, it had been towards food. Maybe..."

His Mom caught onto his logic.

"If you use food as a reward, it will listen!"

"MOM! THAT'S IT! THANKS!"

He even kissed the receiver before hanging up the phone.

It was that morning that he had planned the whole operation out. The moment the guard unlocked the gates, Red was first out the door to the nearest fruit tree and up the trunk before the first match began. Using his knapsack, he gathered as many apple-like fruits as his sack could carry.

Snorlax awoke to a stubborn trainer holding its favorite fruits in his tiny hands.

"Snorlax, this will be how it goes. I reward you for every action I command you."

The confidence filled his lungs as he juggled the apple in his hand, before finding his hand empty and a massive monster towering over him licking its chops.

"Okay...Let's try that again. Arm up." He motioned with his arm what to do. Snorlax stood there with its head tilted in misunderstanding.

"Arm up." He hoped that Snorlax copied him sooner or later.

Snorlax tilted its head the other way before lifting its own arm like Red was. Soon afterwards an apple was tossed towards its mouth, disappearing in a crunch. The monster looked down with a smile, as if it solved a difficult puzzle.

"Arms up." Now it listened immediately, as it followed Red's commands and lifted both arms up high, only to catch another apple.

Red couldn't believe this was working. So he tried one other approach.

"Arms up." This time he didn't motion himself.

The monster didn't move. Only after Red moved himself did Snorlax lift its hands and greet another apple to its mouth.

Red's pokemon became his mirror, copying his every move. By the time lunch came around, they had shaken the ground with jumping jacks, been told to stop doing those, shared a laugh after that, stretched their arms and legs and swung their hands like vines, all while Snorlax ate a constant barrage of apples rewarded to him.

Professor Oak found his office shake every so often that morning and afternoon, after asking the lady at the lobby what the commotion was about. She answered that it was an unusually large pokemon being trained near the apple orchard.

"Ah, it's a nice day outside, so I guess I'll go see what the commotion is about."

He traveled across the grassy plains and sandy piles to find a massive pokemon taking orders from a tiny trainer. Now it was jumping on one foot, a hand on its nose and another in the air while its trainer did the same. For a second, he nodded his head in approval, surprised that a trainer could do such a feat. Then he noticed that it wasn't just any trainer; it was RED. The boy who stopped a Gyarados just by his wits and a pokeball. Now he could make a Snorlax do jumping jacks on the condition of having an apple waiting for him.

"Red Tajiri, I am very impressed young man."

The young trainer turned towards him, his hair soaked with sweat and his shirt plastered to his body. He hadn't even eaten lunch yet and he had been training since early that morning non-stop.

"The only problem is how jumping jacks will help your Snorlax."

Red smirked at his mentor, "Easy. Like this!"

He swiped his hands wildly. "Double Edge!"

Snorlax whipped its hands faster than the naked eye.

"Headbutt!"

It took the pose of a battering ram and lunged towards his trainer.

"Body Slam!"

The massive hulk of pokemon turned and lunged two feet horizontally before crashing down on the ground unharmed.

"Good. Now, use Rest. You deserve it."

The Snorlax gladly collapsed on its back to resume its usual behavior.

Professor Oak never saw a trainer teach a pokemon a move set like that without using TMs. Body slam isn't able to be learned by Snorlax until level 35...

Within 1 day, Red had gotten a Snorlax under control and taught it 3 vital moves. But that only sparked another boy's curiosity even further.

No one bothered the training duo, as Snorlax looked too menacing to be challenged, yet one trainer decided to cool down the waters.

"Red, I challenge you to a one-on-one match right now!"

A boy decked out in a blue vest and brand new sneakers rushed towards his Grandpa and the protege, ready to show him what a real trainer looked like.


	11. The Battle Begins

"SNORLAX! Stay down."

_It must be a high level Sandslash. I guess it pays to know the headmaster. You get one of the higher leveled rejects._

True to his trainer's command, the massive pokemon stayed put. Sandslash rushed closer to it.

"Hold."

Sandslash's claws reached in front as its feet kicked up dirt, quickly gaining speed.

Professor Oak rubbed his chin with confusion, but Professor Blaine crossed his arms in a relaxed pose.

"HOLD IT." Snorlax calmly relaxed as the spiny pokemon lunged forward, claws slicing ahead.

"NOW! DOUBLE-EDGE ATTACK!"

Snorlax opened its eyes and whipped its hands in front of its face, meeting Sandslash's claws head on and tossing the smaller pokemon to the side.

"Now, show them how big you really are."

Snorlax obliged as it happily rose up to its full height. Sandslash was immediately dwarfed by the massive pokemon. Even Blue gulped a little before composing himself.

"POISON STING!"

Suddenly the massive beast recoiled from the sting of something into its stomach.

"Now, SAND-ATTACK!"

The pangolin-like creature began kicking up as much dust as it could, clouding Snorlax's vision.

Red cursed as he covered his face from the sand.

"Snorlax, whatever you do, keep your hands up to protect your face."

Confused and temporarily blinded, it covered its face from the sand.

"Now, SWIFT attack!"

Snorlax recoiled as dozens of stars slammed into its backside. Sandslash couldn't be picked out in the sand cloud!

_There's got to be a way out of this sand cloud... But what?_

"FURY SWIPES AGAIN!"

Snorlax was knocked to the side as another attack slammed into its side.

While he couldn't do anything, he could at least build up Snorlax's special.

"AMNESIA!"

"SAND-ATTACK AGAIN!"

Red cursed as another cloud of sand covered the battlefield.

_What on Gemini could get rid of the sand?! A gust could do that but... wait._

"Snorlax, wave your arms and blow air in front of you!"

Blue laughed out loud. The trainers outside the battle murmured.

The massive pokemon obeyed as it moved its arms around and blew the sand as far away as possible. As it dissipated, he could see in front of him, but only a few feet. Then it saw spines pass through the field of vision, crossing to its left.

"SLASH!"

"TRY TO BLOCK IT, SNORLAX! DOUBLE-EDGE!"

It saw Sandslash coming through the dust cloud, its form darkening as it reached closer. Claws clashed and Snorlax got the last hit in before sending Sandslash outside of the cloud.

_That's it. _

_Move the battle!_

"Snorlax, don't let him get back into the cloud!"

The pokemon turned and nodded back at Red as the cloud dissipated on its own.

"GO UNDER, SANDSLASH!"

As if on cue, the spiny pokemon dived underground in a massive hole.

Sweat ran down Red's back as he tried to make a strategy. He knew that Sandslash would try to ambush Snorlax from underground, but if it was laying down...

"Snorlax, rest!"

Immediately after he uttered that, Snorlax collapsed onto the floor in a deep and refreshing slumber. He could feel Sandslash tunnel underfoot...

But the force of the Dig didn't even move Snorlax. Instead, Sandslash crawled out from underneath, rubbing its head vigorously. It missed, even though the Dig clearly hit Snorlax. This was Red's big chance; Snorlax was fully healed and Sandslash spun around in sloppy circles.

"Now! TAKE DOWN!"

Snorlax got up and lunged, it's full body clearing the ground before slamming atop the yellow pokemon. As Snorlax got off of the ground and moved away, everyone could clearly see Sandslash get up, take a few steps... and collapse in exhaustion onto the ground. It fainted.

Sandslash was unable to battle.

He won.

Snorlax won.

He finally won his first battle!

"Sandslash, return!"

The exhausted spiny pokemon turned into a ball of red energy as it flew back into its pokeball. Red fished into his backpack for one last fruit, which Snorlax enjoyed the most. He couldn't believe that he did it. A pokemon he just gained respect from in barely a day, and now had one its first battle.

"Well, Red. You might have won this round, but there's still another to go!"

Blue had a second pokemon. Every second level gets one. He knew that the lottery for the second pokemon was after you beat two trainers with levels above yours, so this was going to be an uphill battle from the start. Yet now he didn't seem so afraid anymore. Red breathed deeply into his chest as he heard Blue's second pokeball burst open, white energy showering the stage.

He squinted his eyes as the new pokemon formed. Then he cursed under his breath.

In front of the two of them was an angry-looking Gyarados, hell-bent on revenge.


	12. Round Two

For all he knew, this was a different Gyarados, but it looked so familiar. Then again, he had only seen coincidences like that in fairy tales. Instead, he turned his attention to the task at hand: how on Gemini was he going to beat a full-grown Gyarados with a Snorlax?

Before he could make up a strategy, Blue called for the beginning of the round and commanded Gyarados with a cunning on his lips.

"Gyarados, bite attack!"

Immediately, Gyarados lunged forward and gripped Snorlax in its mighty jaws. Red could have sworn he heard a crunch. Some of the spectators winced loudly as Snorlax wildly flailed its arms in vain.

"Snorlax, fury swipe all over it's head!"

Snorlax obeyed, swiping its claws at Gyarados' head. By some crazy circumstance, one of its claws struck true, landing on Gyarados' eye. The sea monster roared in pain as its grip weakened on the massive creature. But it wasn't done yet.

"Snorlax, whatever you just did, do it again!"

The same process happened again, Snorlax's claw landing near Gyarados' eye. It didn't take long before Gyarados let Snorlax go entirely, freeing it to stumble away. As Gyarados looked back for commands, its tail rubbing the scratch marks near its eye, Red knew just what to do; never let it lunge again.

"Snorlax, keep it within arms length! Double-Edge attack!"

Before Blue could give a command, Snorlax bound towards Gyarados, its massive weight shaking the ground. The blue-scaled monster watched in horror as the massive beast beat down on it with a constant barrage of claw and solid muscle. By the time the sea serpent escaped from Snorlax's grip, it had been severely injured and left its opponent with the hope of winning.

_I can actually do this. I can actually win for once! Let's do this!_

"Snorlax, don't let it get away! Double-Edge attack!"

"GYARADOS, THAT'S IT! HYPER BEAM!"

_HYPER BEAM?! How high of a level is that thing?!_

A massive beam of energy exploded out of Gyarados' mouth, sending Snorlax flying backwards. The crowd hushed in shock and awe of the massive beast's power as Snorlax got up and shook the dizziness away.

Red knew that it was now or never. Snorlax was pushed too far to attack Gyarados head on, but on the other hand Snorlax was now an easy target.

"Gyarados, HYPER BEAM!"

Red knew what comes next...

_Wait..._

_Doesn't a pokemon have to recharge before it can use it again?_

Gyarados tried to expel more energy, but it instead writhed about in pain.

_It might work..._

"Snorlax... DOUBLE-EDGE NOW!"

He heard murmurs drown away with the massive stomps of his beloved Snorlax, in a last second effort to take down Gyarados before another Hyper Beam would knock it out. With such a powerful move, every second counts.

He knew he needed a back up option, and it came to him in those heart-stopping seconds.

"GYARADOS, HYPER BEAM!"

"SNORLAX, DIVE AND BODY SLAM!"

The sea snake opened its mouth and let loose a massive hyper beam, a wave of energy with the equivalent of a brick wall thrown at someone's face...before Snorlax dove away to safety and lunged with all of it's might at Gyarados.

It saw the massive pokemon barreling towards it in the corner of its vision, but there was nothing it could do. The sea monster was hit in the face with two massive arms and 1,000 pounds of Snorlax.

For the second time that day, a Snorlax crawled off of a fainted pokemon, the Gyarados laying in a heap in a small crater on the ground. Both Professors knew to leave the moment the battle was over, as they had important business to care to.

_Gyarados is unable to battle..._

"Gyarados is unable to battle," Blue mumbled.

Red's face grew into a smile for the first time at the academy.

"Snorlax..."

Red relished this moment. The wave of hatred rose up in him again. He had shown up the boy who called him a smut, so he stormed across the battle field, where his Snorlax gained its composure, and marched straight up to his opponent.

"Say it."

"What, you smut?"

"SAY IT." He had been waiting for this moment before the battle began. He fought like he had everything to lose, and now he was going to get his rewards for giving everything.

"SAY WHO WON."

"Snorlax wins."

"WHO IS ITS TRAINER?"

"You, okay?"

He stared up at his snarky opponent, to full of himself to even concede defeat.

"SAY MY NAME. SAY I WON."

Blue rolled his eyes at his smaller opponent.

"Red wins, okay?"

He pointed up at his face with a dirtied finger, one that spent the morning picking fruit, the afternoon winning his first match.

"AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT, YOU STUCK UP PRICK!"

He turned away almost immediately, with fresh new air in his lungs, as he called out to his new companion.

"SNORLAX, RETURN!"

The exhausted pokemon did so almost immediately, disappearing in a ball of red energy into its comfortable ball. However, as he was surrounded by his other friends, Blue taunted his new victim.

"You may have one this time, Red, but you'll never leave this place, you hear me? You came here to die. Welcome to Hell, Red. Enjoy your stay."

Red stopped to turn to the boy atop of the hill, surrounded by his friends, now his new enemies.

He looked down at his pokeball, now housing a winner inside, and he didn't look back. All he did was smile and leave with a head held high and a familiar girl rushing towards him.


	13. Delia's Starter

Delia sprinted towards the battlefield after numerous tremors struck the ground with such ferocity that all of the trainers stopped to watch. Little had she known that her newest friend had been in the thick of it, his Snorlax taking on such Blue's massive Gyarados. As she reached the base of the hill, she overheard screaming coming from that little boy's lungs.

"AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT, YOU STUCK UP PRICK!"

She stopped midway, her Bellsprout clinging desperately to its trainer's neckerchief. She couldn't believe it. The kid won. Red beat Blue. Unheard of! Absurd! Unthinkable!

Most of all , she never heard anyone talk like that to Blue. Not even she did that, and she was a jerk to everyone. As she climbed up the steep rocky side with the apple tree poking out the top, she heard Blue's snarky remark about the Academy being a sort of Hell.

Then an idea hit her like an apple. She yelled back at Blue and his cronies:

"THE ONLY REASON IT'S HELL IS BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE HERE!"

Delia stood by the little boy's side, her Bellsprout at the ready, as he faced away from his new rival.

Blue smirked back at the hapless duo, one with a Snorlax, the other with a tiny worthless Bellsprout.

"Yeah, that's true Delia. About high time I make you my inferior in every way. Next time I see you, I'm challenging you and I'll smear Red too. Just wait, you red-haired pigtailed princess!"

Delia's pale face matched the color of her hair with rage.

"Nobody makes fun of my ponytail! NOBODY! I'll challenge you first, you Blue-faced loser!"

His cronies laughed him away in a farewell parade off of the hill as the two of them stared in that direction. Red looked towards his friend and put a hand on her heaving shoulder.

"It's okay. Thanks for standing up to me. I... I can take care of myself."

She gently shrugged off his hand as she stood closer to him. She was a full foot taller than him, so from a distance they looked more like siblings than friends.

"A bit of a shame too. I was going to show off my newest pokemon too."

Red's face changed from sullen victory to excitement.

"How did you get a second pokemon?! Wait, did you..."

"Yep," She interrupted triumphantly. "Beat two higher level trainers. Finally won me another leg up on the competition..."

She smirked as she held her second pokeball in her hands. The metal still felt cold against her hand.

"...Or maybe a new torch above the rest! Pokeball, go!"

The pokeball popped open in dramatic fashion, the white energy folding again and again onto itself before a lizard appeared within the light, its tail burning a crimson and yellow flame.

"A Charmander! Wow! I've never seen one so close!"

He knelt down towards the tiny pokemon, who immediately wobbled towards its master in fright. Delia chuckled as she gathered up the little reptile in her arms, its wide eyes glowing in her secure embrace. She even felt it purr as it buried further into the crutch of her elbow.

"It's so cute!"

"Yep. Got the little Charmander at level 5. Isn't it adorable?!" She cooed the little pokemon to its delight.

"I wonder if I'll get a Charmander." Red wondered aloud.

"Probably not. Then again, all second-tier level trainers get a starter pokemon at random. So you have ,like , a 1 in 3 chance of getting a Charmander over a Squirtle or Bulbasaur."

"Why is that? I thought the second pokemon is also a reject."

"Nope. When a trainer shows promise, they trust them with a rarer type of pokemon."

"Huh. I never thought of that."

"Well, that's why I'm the better trainer. I've been here longer. I know more secrets about this place."

She pointed at the horizon, where the sun was losing in to kiss the hills.

"Like, the moment the sun touches the horizon, the bell will be blown throughout the campus and all training will immediately stop for curfew."

Almost immediately afterwards, Red shook with the blast of the bell, signaling the end of his second training day. They walked together to the main doors of the battlegrounds, Delia with her newest addition, Red with his newest winner tucked safely in his pokeball. They led the rest of the trainers indoors, with all higher level trainers depositing their second Pokemon into the secured database onsite.

...

Massive posters and achievement banners dominated the cafeteria walls, from massive pictures of legendary pokemon to a board with the trainer color standings hammered into the plastered wall. Ten tables, each able to hold twenty trainers, lined up in rows, surrounded by stools locked onto them at all sides. It was at one of these tables that they sat together for supper, with Red telling her in detail how the battle took place, at least from his point of view.

"So there was Snorlax, a full ten feet away after being blasted by the hyper beam..."

Some other smaller trainers surrounded their table, eager to hear how Blue was defeated by a trainer their same age. One trainer in particular overheard it, his yellow mouse bending its ears towards the commotion.

"So I thought 'We need to get closer to Gyarados now! Otherwise, we're toast!'

"So there we were, on the verge of victory..."

"More like beginner's luck."

They all turned around to see another trainer towering over them, his red hat pushing down the mop of black hair on his head, his Pikachu loyally hugging its master's shoulder. Delia's large bright eyes narrowed at him.

"Shut up, Raymond."

Red looked confusingly between the two of them, while the other younger trainers stood watch. Pikachu jumped down onto Red's lap and curled up comfortably.

"What? I've never seen such a young trainer take on such a powerful opponent and win. Not like that anyway."

"Huh. Nice compliment to a kid who wiped the floor with Blue's Gyarados, the one pokemon everyone wanted to beat but couldn't."

Red looked incredulously at Delia. _Seriously? EVERYONE wanted to beat that overpowered sea snake?!_

"Well, that's because he's way too connected, what with his Grandpa and all. Look I know you like to play daycare with all of the younger trainers and all, but get a grip. We're all here to win, not make friends."

"Uh, you guys know each other?"

The two older trainers looked towards him simultaneously.

"RayMOND and I know each other from a while back. We started here together, yet he's just as stubborn as he was when he got here-"

"Which is why" Ray interrupted, "I have two pokemon and not you."

"Actually," Delia smile-smirked, "I have two now."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"Charmander, level 5."

Ray stopped before he retorted back. No one could lie about their pokemon. They would have to prove it later, so it wasn't worth trying to build up such a big game, especially if it was on such a low level.

"Squirtle, level 10. I'll see you on the battlefield tomorrow. See you later, Red. C'mon Pikachu."

The little mouse obeyed, leaping from Red's lap back onto Ray's raised arm as he walked to the other side of the cafeteria, on the way to the dormitories.


End file.
